Top photo: In April 2006, Taylor Hicks received perhaps the ultimate compliment from "Saturday Night Live": a parody on "Weekend Update." Jason Sudeikis portrayed the singer, tossing his head and shouting "Soul Patrol!" (NBC photo) Bottom photos: Hicks, a Hoover native, worked his mojo as a finalist on "American Idol." He won the crown, creating a larger-than-life character on TV. (Fox photos)

When Taylor Hicks whipped out his harmonica and started dancing with funky abandon on "American Idol," he became a larger-than-life character on reality TV,

Hicks' prematurely gray hair, bluesy vocals and jovial shouts of "Soul Patrol!" sealed the deal. Within a few months, the Hoover native won the hearts of millions of viewers and took the title on the Fox reality series.

The year was 2006, and "Idol" was at its peak. But Hicks says he never expected to catch the attention of writers for "Saturday Night Live." And when cast member Jason Sudeikis appeared on "Weekend Update," impersonating Hicks with glee ... well, it took nearly 400 missed calls and text messages for the news to sink in.

"I didn't realize it had happened until Sunday morning," Hicks recalls during a phone interview. "It came out of nowhere. I was in the throes of the 'Idol' show and holding on for dear life. Obviously when you're on 'Idol' and all that stuff, people call you. But when I saw all those messages on my phone, at this particular point, I realized something was going on."

As "SNL" prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversay tonight with a live special on NBC, we asked Hicks to look back at his moment in the comedy spotlight. What did he think of the Sudeikis spoof? What impact did it have on his career?

"That Sunday afternoon, I went back and watched the skit. I couldn't believe it," Hicks says. "I was honored. It was funny. It was extremely clever. I loved it. It was really neat. I thought he did a really good job. Another thing I thought was that it would help me in the voting department." (Watch the "SNL" video here.)

In the entertainment world, Hicks knew, a lampoon can be the sincerest form of flattery. The "Weekend Update" segment certainly fell into that category, poking fun at Hicks' exuberance but never twisting the knife with cruelty.

Also, just as important, "SNL" had acknowledged that Hicks was a household name.

"When you look back on it, it was the perfect time for this to happen," Hicks says. "I was blessed. It was the perfect storm. It took me catching my breath to realize how important it was for my career. ... I'm an Elvis Presley in my own mind, but at that particular time, I realized that I was the clear front-runner to win that season."

Now, about nine years later, Hicks regards that "Saturday Night Live" parody as a happy milestone.

"I think the powers-that-be on 'Idol' tried to downplay it, because it is a competition," he says. "I think privately they were thrilled. 'Idol' was a juggernaut and I happened to be at the center of it."